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MADiL Gives Back

If I want to be honest here, until I recently read the book Good Call: Reflections on Faith, Family, and Fowl by Jase Robertson and read about the struggles his daughter has faced being born with a cleft lip and palate, I knew next to nothing about the condition. I simply thought cleft lip and palate was a deformity, something purely cosmetic, that could be fixed with one simple surgery. What I learned by reading this book was that cleft lip and palate are not simply cosmetic deformities. They are actually facial and oral malformations. A cleft lip is a physical split or separation of the two sides of the upper lip and appears as a narrowing opening or gap in the skin of the upper lip, which often extends beyond the base of the nose and includes the bones of the upper jaw and/or upper gum. A cleft palate is a split or opening in the roof of the mouth and can involve the hard palate (the bony front portion of the roof of the mouth) and/or the soft palate (the soft back portion of the root of the mouth). It is possible to have only one or the other or both together. There are several problems associated with cleft lip and/or palate as well, including eating problems, ear infections/hearing loss, speech problems, and dental problems. These malformations tend to take not one, but multiple surgeries to fix.

I recently found a company called MADiL (Make A Difference in Life), which sells flip flops, allowing you to design your own combinations by choosing a flip flop color and then adding colored bands and charms. MADiL was founded with a fun and creative spirit and a strong desire to do good. They are passionate about helping others and encourage people to do social good. Their story is quite simple, "we want to create a great family business, mentor our kids as we go, and do what we can to help make a difference in life." MADiL is so much more than about flip flops though. MADiL is committed to helping children worldwide born with a cleft lip and palate and has partnered with Smile Train, who provides funding for free cleft surgeries to hundreds and thousands of children. By giving $1 for every pair of MADiL flip flops sold, MADiL helps to train doctors and fund repair surgeries anywhere in the world. Clefts are a major problem in developing countries where millions of children are suffering with unrepaired clefts. Most cannot eat or speak properly and aren't allowed to attend school or hold a job. MADiL believes that every child born with a cleft, no matter where they are from, should have the opportunity to live a full and productive life. Now that you are more educated about cleft lip and cleft palate, I encourage you to help MADiL give back to this cause by purchasing a pair of flip flops for only $9.99, which I definitely think is very affordable. If you're like me, you probably love flip flips and could wear them all year and have tons of pairs so why not add a pair of MADiL flip flops to the mix and do good in the process.

You can find out more about how MADiL gives back here and you can purchase a pair of MADiL flip flops here.